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2011

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Ann-Based Fault Classification And Location On Mvdc Cables Of Shipboard Power Systems, Naveen Kumar Chanda Dec 2011

Ann-Based Fault Classification And Location On Mvdc Cables Of Shipboard Power Systems, Naveen Kumar Chanda

Theses and Dissertations

Uninterrupted power supply is an important requirement for electric ship since it has to confront frequent travel and hostilities. However, the occurrence of faults in the shipboard power systems interrupts the power service continuity and leads to the severe damage on the electrical equipments. Faults need to be quickly detected and isolated in order to restore the power supply and prevent the massive cascading outage effect on the electrical equipments. This thesis presents an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based method for the fault classification and location in MVDC shipboard power systems using the transient information in the fault voltage and …

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Thermostability Of Sweet Whey As Influenced By Thermization And Addition Of Enzymatic Hydrolyzate Of Caseinate, Jingming Tao Dec 2011

Thermostability Of Sweet Whey As Influenced By Thermization And Addition Of Enzymatic Hydrolyzate Of Caseinate, Jingming Tao

Theses and Dissertations

Sweet whey is the liquid that separates from the cheese curd during manufacture of cheeses like Edam and Cheddar. Though highly nutritious, problems associated with whey utilizations include variability of desired functional attributes and lack of thermostability (TS), an attribute that is imperative in retort or pasteurization stable high protein drinks. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of pre-heat treatment (thermization) of fresh sweet whey and/or addition of casein hydrolyzate on the subsequent TS of whey protein concentrates (WPC). Fresh sweet wheys were obtained from the Mississippi State University Dairy Plant, separated, thermized for different time …

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Body Centric Antennas For Wireless Cardiac Monitoring, Travis Ann Nylin Dec 2011

Body Centric Antennas For Wireless Cardiac Monitoring, Travis Ann Nylin

Theses and Dissertations

The overwhelming prevalence of cardiac related deaths is the motivation behind this thesis to develop body centric antennas for wireless cardiac monitoring. Cardiac monitoring can diagnose a number of conditions including: arrhythmia, ischemia, premature atrial complexes, abnormal sinus rhythms, heart blocks, atrial fibrillation, and more. A body centric antenna operating within the ISM band (2.4-2.48GHz) has been designed, simulated, and tested. The simulation and testing indicate low mutual coupling between antennas of varying distances has been achieved. In addition, the simulation and testing indicate that a thin layer of skin over the test subject further reduces mutual coupling.

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Characterization Of Reclaimed Asphalt And Performance Based Evaluation Of Its Use In Recycled Mixtures, Jesse David Doyle Dec 2011

Characterization Of Reclaimed Asphalt And Performance Based Evaluation Of Its Use In Recycled Mixtures, Jesse David Doyle

Theses and Dissertations

Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is a valuable resource that can be recycled into new asphalt mixtures. In recent years, the continued rise of raw material costs has generated considerable interest in increasing RAP usage. Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is a modern development in the asphalt industry that can potentially help increase RAP usage and achieve adequate mixture performance. The purpose of this dissertation is to: 1) develop a method to characterize the absorbed, inert and effective bituminous components in RAP; and 2) evaluate performance of high RAP-WMA mixtures for various pavement applications including airfield surfaces, highway surfaces and highway bases. …

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Creating Resilient, Sustainable Local Governments: Merging Human Resource Management And Emergency Management, Stacey Cole Mann Dec 2011

Creating Resilient, Sustainable Local Governments: Merging Human Resource Management And Emergency Management, Stacey Cole Mann

Theses and Dissertations

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Goodman and Mann (2008) found that many locales along the Mississippi Gulf Coast did not have plans that addressed human resources (HR) issues in the aftermath of a disaster, and many vital employees were not included in the emergency planning process. The authors concluded that if involved in planning, HR managers could address typical HR issues such as compensation, retention, recruitment, and task re-orientation that become more difficult following a disaster. The purpose of this study was to examine the level of involvement of HR departments in the emergency planning process as well as …

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Cross-Entropy Approaches To Software Forensics: Source Code Authorship Identification, James Thomas Stinson Dec 2011

Cross-Entropy Approaches To Software Forensics: Source Code Authorship Identification, James Thomas Stinson

Theses and Dissertations

Identification of source code authorship can be a useful tool in the areas of security and forensic investigation by helping to create corroborating evidence that may send a suspected cyber terrorist, hacker, or malicious code writer to jail. When applied to academia, it can also prove a useful tool for professors who suspect students of academic dishonesty, plagiarism, or modification of source code related to programming assignments. The purpose of this dissertation is to determine whether or not cross-entropy approaches to source code authorship analysis will succeed in predicting the correct author of a given piece of source code. If …

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Study Of Excited Superdeformed Bands In 154dy And High-Spin Spectroscopy Of 171hf, Qurant Ul Ann Ijaz Dec 2011

Study Of Excited Superdeformed Bands In 154dy And High-Spin Spectroscopy Of 171hf, Qurant Ul Ann Ijaz

Theses and Dissertations

The first project in this dissertation involves the search for and the study of excited superdeformed (SD) rotational bands in 154Dy. The data was obtained from an experiment at the 88-inch cyclotron of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory via the fusion evaporation reaction 122Sn(36S, 4n) and using the Gammasphere spectrometer array to probe the high-spin states in 154Dy. With the help of large Compton-suppressed spectrometers such as GAMMASPHERE in the USA and EUROBALL in Europe, superdeformed nuclei have been identified in several regions of the chart of nuclides including 151Dy, 153Dy, 154Dy and 155Dy. The 154Dy nucleus, located in the …

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Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Of Thiobarbituric Acid (Tba) And Tba Reactive Compounds, Pravindya Rukshani Haputhanthri Dec 2011

Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Of Thiobarbituric Acid (Tba) And Tba Reactive Compounds, Pravindya Rukshani Haputhanthri

Theses and Dissertations

Malondialdehyde (MDA) is the commonly accepted biomarker of lipid peroxidation. We reported the surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) detection of MDA using Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) as a molecular probe. The lowest concentration of HPLC purified TBA-MDA adduct that can be determined with reasonable signal to noise ratio is 0.45 nM. The specificity of the SERS technique has been demonstrated by comparing the SERS spectrum of TBA-MDA adduct with other TBA-aldehyde adducts. As a small organosulfur compound, TBA exhibits tremendous structural complexity. Discussed in this thesis is the drastic pH and concentration dependence of TBA SERS spectral features. To understand the origins of …

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The Influence Of Social Determinants On Late Stage Breast Cancer And The Impact Of The National Breast And Cervical Cancer Program On Late Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Melody L. Fortune Dec 2011

The Influence Of Social Determinants On Late Stage Breast Cancer And The Impact Of The National Breast And Cervical Cancer Program On Late Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Melody L. Fortune

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation research focused on breast cancer and social determinants that have been shown to influence the outcomes of this devastating disease. Although heart disease is the leading cause of death for women, more women feel that they will die from breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common diagnosed cancer in women exacting an emotional and economic hardship for many women. There are no known causes of breast cancer, but there are certain genetic and social factors that pre-dispose women to this disease. Also, diagnosis at later stages of disease has been shown to have adverse outcomes for many. …

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The Legacy Of Cotton: A Geographical Perspective On The Influence Of Traditionalist Politics In Mississippi, William Edward Stephen Cottrell Dec 2011

The Legacy Of Cotton: A Geographical Perspective On The Influence Of Traditionalist Politics In Mississippi, William Edward Stephen Cottrell

Theses and Dissertations

It was hypothesized that the socialspatial dialectic (location, education, politics and race) contributes to Mississippi’s low livability ranking. Regression models were employed using race, student funding rates, high school graduation rates, property tax, and voter turnout in the 82 counties as variables. The research found evidence that Blacks have lower graduation rates than Whites and property tax has a significant effect on voter participation at the gamma = .001 level. Social capital disadvantage seems to reside within both races with voter participation, property tax rates, and school funding being more pronounced with Whites. Results suggest that political capital should not …

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A Case Study Of The State Takeover Of The Sunflower County School District, Paula Allen Vanderford Dec 2011

A Case Study Of The State Takeover Of The Sunflower County School District, Paula Allen Vanderford

Theses and Dissertations

The performance of the nation‟s public schools continues to be a concern of policymakers, educators, and parents. Stakeholders cite the lack of academic achievement, disruptive student behavior, and failure to provide students with a safe and orderly school environment as evidence of being unsuccessful. To ensure school districts, schools, administrators, teachers, and students meet acceptable performance standards, states are implementing a variety of accountability policies. Two of the more controversial accountability approaches are state takeovers of local school districts and the reconstitution of schools. At least 29 states have enacted policies that allow the takeover of a school district. Changes …

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Assessing The Effects Of Toxic Synthetic Organic Compounds On Activated Sludge Communities, Kristopher Michael Lightsey Dec 2011

Assessing The Effects Of Toxic Synthetic Organic Compounds On Activated Sludge Communities, Kristopher Michael Lightsey

Theses and Dissertations

The recent technological advances in environmental monitoring coupled with the increasingly stringent effluent requirements being placed on waste treatment systems makes it vital to have a more complete understanding of how specific compounds in waste streams can impact wastewater treatment processes. Since activated sludge processes are recognized as one of the most often applied technologies in wastewater treatment, this study assesses the impacts of select toxic synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) on the activated sludge communities in two types of wastewater treatment reactors: a completely-mixed activated sludge reactor (CMAS) and a sequencing batch reactor (SBR). Commonly applied activated sludge monitoring parameters, …

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Characterization Of Two Genes For Resistance To Aflatoxin Accumulation In Maize (Zea Mays L.), John Erik Mylroie Dec 2011

Characterization Of Two Genes For Resistance To Aflatoxin Accumulation In Maize (Zea Mays L.), John Erik Mylroie

Theses and Dissertations

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the world’s largest food crops and thus any pathogens of maize are of great importance. Aspergillus flavus is one of these pathogens and it produces a carcinogenic metabolite called aflatoxin. Efforts to reduce infection by A. flavus and subsequent aflatoxin accumulation include the development of maize lines resistant to aflatoxin accumulation. However, resistant lines that have been developed contain agronomically unfavorable traits. Gene-based markers would allow for easier transfer of resistance from resistant inbred lines into maize lines with good agronomic traits. The focus of this research was the development of gene-based markers …

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Development Of Sub Models For A Phenomenological Investigation Of Diesel Engine Combustion, Lu Qiu Dec 2011

Development Of Sub Models For A Phenomenological Investigation Of Diesel Engine Combustion, Lu Qiu

Theses and Dissertations

Various sub models of a multi-zone phenomenological model are developed by incorporating Dec’s conceptual model and Siebers’ mixing limited theory and validated with experiments. The spray penetration model, liquid length model and lift-off length model are verified with experiment data. The ignition delay model is then validated with experiment data at different injection timings and loads. The air entrainment model is based on Siebers’ jet theory. Sub models for the premixed heat release rate and diffusion burn rate are also included. The overall phenomenological model is at first used to match the motoring pressure curve. The important sub models are …

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Distance Education In Natural Resources: A National Study Of Inhibitors And Motivators For Participation In Distance Education Programs, Jodi Roberts Dec 2011

Distance Education In Natural Resources: A National Study Of Inhibitors And Motivators For Participation In Distance Education Programs, Jodi Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Distance education is an innovative delivery method that is gaining a great deal of attention on university campuses across the United States, as well as worldwide. While this attention may seem to be newfound, the earliest record of the practice of distance education traces back to Biblical times and was later referred to as correspondence. Land-grant institutions in the United States were among the first to offer correspondence courses to students who may otherwise not have been able to attend traditional university classes. While online education programs and courses across the United States have grown, from 1.6 million students enrolled …

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Understanding Consumer Responses To Endorser Failures, Lauren Allyn White Dec 2011

Understanding Consumer Responses To Endorser Failures, Lauren Allyn White

Theses and Dissertations

Celebrity endorsements are a widely used marketing strategy, through which a popular celebrity is paired with the brand in order to enhance brand meaning in the eyes of consumers. However, endorsement strategies are not without risk, as evidenced by popular media revealing celebrities’ negative behavior. While much research has addressed factors enhancing endorsement effectiveness, limited research exists that examines the effects of negative celebrity information on consumer responses to the endorser and brand. The current research seeks to understand the potential differentiating effects of failure type (functional vs. nonfunctional) on related consumer attitudes and intentions. Three experiments (between subjects factorial …

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Development Of A Short Range Tracking System Using An Inertial Measurement Unit, James Casey Shackelford Dec 2011

Development Of A Short Range Tracking System Using An Inertial Measurement Unit, James Casey Shackelford

Theses and Dissertations

Inertial measurement units, or IMUs, serve as effective tracking devices when used in sophisticated aerospace control and navigational systems. This tracking potential, coupled with ever advancing technology that permits IMUs to become smaller and more compact, is allowing IMUs to gain popularity in a many areas of research beyond the areas of aerospace. Using an IMU based on microelectromechanical (MEMS) technology, this document investigates an IMU’s ability to track complex, short range motions such as golf swings. To prepare the IMU, an accurate, yet quick, calibration procedure is proposed and illustrated to show the tools and equipment necessary for this …

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In-Situ Catalytic Upgrading Of Pyrolysis Vapor, Vamshi Krishna Guda Dec 2011

In-Situ Catalytic Upgrading Of Pyrolysis Vapor, Vamshi Krishna Guda

Theses and Dissertations

The rising fuel prices, environmental concerns over the emission of greenhouse gases, and the limited availability of fossil fuels led to the current focus on developing alternative fuel sources that are sustainable and environmentally benign. Lignocellulosic biomass, due to its high carbon value, abundance and for being greenhouse gas neutral, is a promising alternative energy resource. Fast pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass produces high energy density liquid fuel, called bio-oil, which has the potential as transportation fuel. But, crude bio-oils are chemically complex liquids with high oxygen contents (40 % oxygen content), high viscosity, low pH, low thermal stability, and poor …

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On The Problem Of Arbitrary Projections Onto A Reduced Discrete Set Of States With Applications To Mean First Passage Time Problems, Katja Biswas Dec 2011

On The Problem Of Arbitrary Projections Onto A Reduced Discrete Set Of States With Applications To Mean First Passage Time Problems, Katja Biswas

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a theoretical study of arbitrary discretizations of general nonequilibrium and non-steady-state systems. It will be shown that, without requiring the partitions of the phase-space to fulfill certain assumptions, such as culminating in Markovian partitions, a Markov chain can be constructed which has the same macro-change of probability of the occupation of the states as the original process. This is true for any classical and semiclassical system under any discrete or continuous, deterministic or stochastic, Markovian or non-Markovian dynamics. Restricted to classical and semi-classical systems, a formalism is developed which treats the projection of arbitrary (multidimensional) complex systems …

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Regulation Of Selective Delignification In The White-Rot Decay Fungus Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, Leslie Anne Parker Dec 2011

Regulation Of Selective Delignification In The White-Rot Decay Fungus Phanerochaete Chrysosporium, Leslie Anne Parker

Theses and Dissertations

To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which the white-rot decay fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium regulates selective delignification versus simultaneous decay, differential gene expression of its two key enzymes were measured over the course of aspen and birch wood decay tests. The type of decay was determined by differential staining and scanning electron microscopy. Real-time qPCR assessed gene expression of four lignin peroxidase genes and two manganese peroxidase genes at each stage of decay. Differential expression was significant in the mnp2 gene between aspen and birch decay tests during incipient decay; abundant expression of mnp2 in aspen corresponded to …

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Exploring Math Anxiety As It Relates To Math Achievement, Gender, And Race, Wanda Denise Pittman Merritt Dec 2011

Exploring Math Anxiety As It Relates To Math Achievement, Gender, And Race, Wanda Denise Pittman Merritt

Theses and Dissertations

Students’ mathematic achievement has not met national, state, or local expectations for decades. The No Child Left Behind Act mandated that by school year 2013-2014, all students in public schools across the nation are to perform at the proficient level or higher in math. The specific problem addressed in the present study was low measures of students’ math achievement in one Mississippi school district. Prior research suggested that math anxiety was a major factor that influenced students’ math performances. Hypothesis 1 for this study stated there is a statistically significant negative relationship between seventh grade students’ math anxiety scores and …

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A Terrain And Meteorological Analysis Of The Battlefield At Shiloh, Tennessee, Charles Blakely Mcclendon Dec 2011

A Terrain And Meteorological Analysis Of The Battlefield At Shiloh, Tennessee, Charles Blakely Mcclendon

Theses and Dissertations

A terrain analysis of the Shiloh Battlefield is presented in conjunction with a meteorological assessment of the conditions prevalent during the battle. The intent of the analysis was to ascertain the effect that conditions might have played upon the strategic and tactical actions prior to, and during the Battle of Shiloh, 1862. The significance of this study was to determine the influence of meteorological and geographical factors upon the two armies. Values for temperature and precipitation were estimated using the PDSI and data from NOAA. According to the model it was a very wet year. Weather and geography clearly played …

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Quantifying Physiological Responses Of Beef Cattle Using A Tympanic Temperature Measurement Device, Jacob John Mayer Dec 2011

Quantifying Physiological Responses Of Beef Cattle Using A Tympanic Temperature Measurement Device, Jacob John Mayer

Theses and Dissertations

The primary goals of this research were to develop an improved design for measuring tympanic temperature in groups of beef cattle, determine the ideal operating parameters of the new device, and to verify its effectiveness in a research application. Development of the continuous tympanic temperature logger (CTTL) consisted of two steps: identifying a small temperature logger capable of adequate data storage and constructing a probe to hold the logger and fit in the ear canal of a bovine animal. The minimum sampling interval needed to measure tympanic temperature in beef cattle was calculated using Fourier analysis. In addition, the differences …

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Retained Woody Structure In 1-Year-Old Loblolly Pine Plantations In Mississippi, Louisiana, And Arkansas, Justin Neu Dec 2011

Retained Woody Structure In 1-Year-Old Loblolly Pine Plantations In Mississippi, Louisiana, And Arkansas, Justin Neu

Theses and Dissertations

I evaluated effects of 4 common site preparation techniques on residual structure while comparing 2 techniques commonly used to estimate CWD volume in Southeast loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) commercial pine plantations in 2 ecoprovinces. The strip plot method (SPM) estimated greater volume than the line intercept method (LIM; 9.7 m3/ha and 11.4 m3/ha respectively). The SPM had lesser volume estimate variability and appears more appropriate for the Southeast. Mechanical sites had the greatest densities of green trees and fewest snag retention and overall were least decayed. Chemical preparation combinations had lesser green tree densities but greater snag densities. Piled CWD …

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Should Distribution Systems Engineering Be Taught At The Undergraduate Level?, Badrul Chowdhury, Anil Pahwa Dec 2011

Should Distribution Systems Engineering Be Taught At The Undergraduate Level?, Badrul Chowdhury, Anil Pahwa

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Although there are some exceptions, a distribution systems course is not part of a typical undergraduate curriculum. the course is usually taught at the graduate level. Teaching a distribution systems course requires the student to have a background in balanced three-phase power system modeling such as that obtained from a first power systems analysis course. the requirement to add breadth to an undergraduate curriculum often precludes the notion of depth in any one area unless a student takes the depth courses as technical or free electives. an argument could be made that a distribution systems course does not contain much …

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Assessing And Modeling Student Academic Practices And Performance In First-Year Mathematics Courses In Higher Education, Kim Ward, Chantal Larose Dec 2011

Assessing And Modeling Student Academic Practices And Performance In First-Year Mathematics Courses In Higher Education, Kim Ward, Chantal Larose

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objectives: This research brief explores literature addressing developmental education to identify successful interventions in first-year math courses in higher education. Our goal is to describe the relationship between students’ academic practices and their final course grade in their first-year math courses. Method: Data on 3,249 students have been gathered and analyzed using descriptive statistics and predicative analytics. We describe the Math program, which includes a supplemental support component, and the environment under which it was created. We then examine the behavior between students’ participation in supplemental support and their academic performance. Results: We used classification and regression tree algorithms to …

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Innovative Smart Grid Control Technologies, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy Dec 2011

Innovative Smart Grid Control Technologies, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The smart electric power grid will evolve into a very complex adaptive system under semi-autonomous distributed control. It will be spatially and temporally complex, non-convex, non-linear and non-stationary, with lots of variability and uncertainties beyond what the traditional power system experiences today. the distributed integration of intermittent sources of energy and energy storage to a power grid further adds complexity and challenges to modeling, control and optimization of the grid. Innovative control technologies are needed to handle the growing complexity of a smart grid, maximize the penetration of renewable energy, and provide maximum utilization of available energy storage, especially plug-in …

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Christine De Pizan's Metaphoric Womb, Tina-Marie Ranalli Dec 2011

Christine De Pizan's Metaphoric Womb, Tina-Marie Ranalli

Medieval Feminist Forum: A Journal of Gender and Sexuality

As a medieval woman writer, Christine de Pizan (ca. 1364-1430) was in an unusual position which necessitated not only that she establish her authority as a vernacular writer, like her male counterparts, but also that she find a way to reconcile her scholarly activity with her sex. In the Livre de la cité des dames, Christine finds a unique solution to her problem of authority and identity. It is my contention that in this work Christine presents an ingeniously crafted and multifaceted metaphor of the development of human life in the womb, what I term her “womb metaphor.” The Cité …

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Water Resources Assessment Of The Rito Peñas Negras, Bruce Thomson, Abdul-Mehdi Ali Dec 2011

Water Resources Assessment Of The Rito Peñas Negras, Bruce Thomson, Abdul-Mehdi Ali

Water Resources Field Methods Reports

During the summer of 2011 students and faculty from the UNM Water Resources Program conducted an investigation of the Rito Peñas Negras in the Cuba District of the Santa Fe National Forest. The objective was to conduct an assessment of the stream and determine its characteristics, quality, and ability to meet its designated use of supporting high quality coldwater aquatic life. The Rito Peñas Negras is a small first order stream with a total length of 7.9 miles. It has one tributary, the Rito Café, which adds another 4 miles to its length. The watershed consists of 10,850 acres and …

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Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In Stormwater From The Pajarito Plateau, Northern New Mexico., Marwin Shendo Dec 2011

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (Pcbs) In Stormwater From The Pajarito Plateau, Northern New Mexico., Marwin Shendo

Water Resources Professional Project Reports

Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) are distributed throughout the globe and represent an environmental threat to wildlife and human health. The New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission has established surface water standards for Wildlife Habitat and the Human Health of 14,000 and 640 pg/L respectively. Preliminary studies identified elevated levels of PCBs in stormwater samples collected from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) watersheds draining the Pajarito Plateau in northern New Mexico, including the Los Alamos County town site. PCB samples were collected at 59 stormwater runoff Site Monitoring Areas (SMAs) from 1996 to 2008 at LANL. PCB Aroclor concentrations ranged from 218,070 …

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